YOU can take the Hollywood star out of South Sydney - or put his 37.5 per cent stake in them up for sale - but you can't take South Sydney out of the Hollywood star.

At the premiere of Les Miserables at the State Theatre last month, Russell Crowe and co-star Hugh Jackman were interviewed before an A-list crowd that included Rupert Murdoch and Souths prop Sam Burgess.

When speaking was done, Crowe could not resist a final chance to promote the ongoing stage production that is closest to his heart.

"GO RABBITOHS!" bellowed the man who'd just played the ashen-faced Inspector Javert in Les Mis. (Some might have been thankful he said it instead of singing it).

It has been two months since Crowe dropped the bombshell he would sell his stake in his beloved club.

But as it stands he's no closer to finding a buyer.

"We've heard nothing from Blackcourt," is all chief executive Shane Richardson would say on the matter when contacted yesterday.

Blackcourt is the company Crowe shares with businessman Peter Holmes a Court. It has a 75 per cent stake in South Sydney. It still remains unclear if Holmes a Court intends to sell his share.

The Daily Telegraph understands there has been some niggling interest from prospective buyers, but nothing firm.

It knows of one wealthy inner-city businessman who has been approached, but he has since ended discussions having been made aware of the heavy financial burden.

Russell Crowe watches on during the NRL preliminary final between the Bulldogs and Souths at ANZ Stadium.Source: Getty Images

Footy clubs chew through cash like they're eating Jaffas at the movies.

Just ask the Delmeges and Penns and Tinklers and even News Ltd, which is trying to sell the Melbourne Storm and sweating on Craig Bellamy to re-sign to ensure it happens.

But if any NRL club looks attractive to a potential - and brave - buyer, surely it is the Rabbitohs. There is every chance that you might just snag the 2013 premiers.

The revolution under coach Michael Maguire was there for all to see last year when they came within one win - and the torn hammy of rookie halfback Adam Reynolds - of a grand final appearance.

The sign that it has continued to another level was evident in something as basic as fullback Greg Inglis's biceps at the launch of the annual Charity Shield clash against the Dragons at ANZ Stadium on February 22.

They were as big as the head of new recruit Ben T'eo, who was sitting next to him. "I look all right, don't I?" Inglis joked when asked about his truck-like frame, adding that this pre-season under Maguire had been "torturous".

The coach admits he is stunned with how far his side has come in the last year.

Ominously, they can only get better.

Their biggest loss was David Taylor to the Titans, but his attitude had worn thin at Redfern and he's been replaced by T'eo - the man who took his spot in the Queensland side for the Origin decider last year. Souths are within reach of their membership target of 25,000 this season, and they are the only Sydney club to turn a profit.

The club could be worth anything from $7 million to $14 million, and Souths loyalists - especially those who opposed the overthrow of patriarch George Piggins - fear Crowe won't find a buyer.

But there's no need for diehards to jump from the bridge into the Seine as Javert did in the final stages of Les Mis. If he doesn't find an investor, he will hold on to his stake until he does. And by then, he might not want to sell.

Crowe is selling his stake because now, after salvaging Souths, he wants to salvage his marriage to Danielle Spencer, with whom he split last year.

Inglis said he hadn't seen Crowe at all since he returned to Australia.

"Haven't seen him anywhere," the fullback snorted. Let's wait until his side starts winning, and then Crowe might think the best person to own his 37.5 per cent share in South Sydney is himself.

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